Smoke x on the x Water
by LizPrince
Summary: After working with Morel and his team to hunt down a dangerous Nen-user, Mar Switzer was happy to join him for a sea voyage. Would close quarters and a new teammate ruin everything?
1. Chapter 1: Assignment x and x Agreement

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, its world or its characters. Only the original characters - Mar and Ulfvar - and this story are mine.

Author's note: Yes, I know Mar means "sea" in Spanish and Portuguese. When I started Where x There's x Smoke, I had no intention of taking Mar on a sea voyage, or even writing another story about her at all. By the time I finished that story, I had begun telling myself the tale of Mar and Morel's next adventure - this time at sea. The pun associated with Mar's name is not intended.

####

We met Ulfvar at a noodle shop in Dolle Harbor. Shoot, who had recently lost his father and was eager to distract himself, had joined Morel, Knuckle, and me after our recent adventure searching for and eliminating a _Nen_ -user who was driving Hunters insane. With nothing pressing to do, Morel had decided to search for the tentacled shark. To date, the only proof of its existence was the pieces found in the stomachs of Reev's whales.

"The odd thing is that Reev's whales don't normally seem to eat creatures larger than small fish," Morel said. "No one's found the remains of animals like seals or dolphins in the whales' stomachs. Why three whales have been discovered with pieces of these sharks in their bellies is a mystery."

Morel's boat, the _Sea Fog_ , was relatively small, but he wanted a fifth crew member, so he arranged to interview Ulfvar, a rookie Hunter who had practically grown up on the ocean. The lanky man who approached our table looked barely out of his teens. He had blond hair that hadn't seen a comb in a while, and both of his arms were covered with colorful tattoos. "Hey, boss!" he said, taking the empty seat at the table. "I recognize you from the elections for the 13th Chairman!" Looking at me, he added, "I didn't know there was going to be a _woman_ with us."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Not at all," he said "I really _like_ women... if you know what I mean." He grinned.

Morel frowned. "Mar Switzer is a pro Hunter," he said, "You'll grant her the respect she deserves. _And_ , I'm not your boss yet. This is an interview."

I was glad that Morel had introduced me as a pro Hunter, rather than mentioning our relationship. As far as I was concerned, who I was to Morel, and who he was to me, should have no bearing on how Ulfvar treated me. The fact that Morel seemed to see the situation the same way I did was just one more thing I loved about him.

"Of course," Ulfvar said. "Sorry about that." He extended his hand to me, and I accepted it, but I didn't smile.

For Ulfvar's benefit, Morel repeated what the rest of us knew: He planned to search for the sharks in the warm waters off the Yorbian continent, where Reev's whales could be found at this time of year. Ulfvar in his turn mentioned that besides being a skilled seaman, he had the ability to conjure spears. That was important, because my ability to identify _Nen_ users at a distance wasn't going to come in handy on this mission, and Knuckle's APR was also unnecessary for the voyage.

Ulfvar was more than ready to join us, but Morel didn't want to decide on his participation without consulting his team. "I'll call you tonight and let you know," he said, dismissing him.

"What do you think? Should we take him on?" Morel asked after Ulfvar left. His questions were meant for all of us, but he looked pointedly at me.

"I think the guy's a little sleazy," said Knuckle.

"He apologized," Shoot remarked. "After that, he seemed fine. It would be good to have another Sea Hunter on this trip."

Morel was still looking at me. Apology or not, I didn't like the kid, but if I said that, Morel was sure to tell Ulfvar he wouldn't take him on. I hated to deny a young Hunter an opportunity like this, and I knew he'd be a useful crew member, so I swallowed my objections. "He _did_ apologize," I said. "Let's go ahead and ask him to join us."

"Are you sure, Mar?" Morel asked. "I'd like you to make the call on this one. I don't want to take on someone who will disrupt the team."

"Yes," I said firmly. I figured Morel had set him in his place, and if he hadn't... well, I could handle him.

We decided to spend the night on the _Sea Fog_ so that we could be ready to go soon after Ulfvar joined us. Knuckle and Shoot had been on board before, but Morel showed me around with great pride. I was... stunned. I had been on boats before, of course, but my overnight voyages had always been on large ships. The _Sea Fog_ was tiny, barely big enough for the five of us. We'd all be sleeping belowdecks, crammed together without much room to move between our hammocks. I felt a little claustrophobic.

"What do you think?" Morel asked with a smile.

I wasn't about to insult his baby, so I just said, "She's cozy."

Morel laughed. "You'll grow to love her, Mar. It's not like camping in the open air, but you'll have a wonderful time."

I did my best to give him a confident smile. _I hope so, Morel. Otherwise it's going to be a long trip._


	2. Chapter 2: Business x and x Pleasure

We were up early the next morning and had already had breakfast when Ulfvar arrived. He was pleasant to all of us. _No need to regret my decision_. _He's learned his lesson._

Five minutes later, I changed my mind. Morel assigned duties, asking me to shadow Knuckle for the first few days, since I'd never served as crew on a boat before. When Morel explained the rotation for duties like cooking and cleaning, Ulfvar spoke up.

"Since Mar's never been on crew before, why don't you just have _her_ do all the cooking and cleaning? She can easily do that and leave the rest of the tasks to us."

I glared at Ulfvar, but he was looking at Morel, not me. Morel just laughed. "Mar isn't much of a cook," he said. "She'll take her turn like everyone else, but she's only been cooking a matter of weeks, so I wouldn't suggest we rely on her for all of our meals. We'll stick with my plan for dividing the work."

I was annoyed. I had expected Morel to respond to Ulfvar like he had the day before, but apparently the urge to tease me about my cooking overpowered his better judgment.

After the meeting broke up, we got to work, and within the hour we were well away from shore. When the pace on board slowed down, Morel found a moment to join me on deck. Putting his arm around me, he said, "I'm glad you joined us, Mar."

It was hard to stay mad at him. I started to tell him that I was glad he'd invited me along, when I noticed that he was looking at something beyond me. Shoot was leaning over the side of the boat, heaving.

"I thought he was over that," he muttered.

"Shoot gets seasick?" I asked. "But... he's your disciple."

"Being my disciple doesn't make someone a natural sailor," he said with chuckle. "I keep thinking Shoot will get used to these voyages, but he always spends the first day or so like this." He left my side to check on Shoot, and Knuckle called me over to explain something. When I settled into my hammock that night, I realized that that moment on the deck was the only time I'd had Morel to myself all day.

#### 

The weather was perfect, and we fell into an easy rhythm of duties. As Morel had predicted, Shoot was better the next day. I did what I could to help on board, learning as I went along. Ulfvar was a great help, and he managed to avoid further stupid remarks. If anything, he seemed to be trying to make up for getting on my bad side; he made a point of seeking me out and talking with me when we were both free. He'd point out flying dolphins and a school of fish that followed alongside our boat. Once, when he was standing close to me and telling me about a particular seabird hovering nearby, Morel walked past and frowned.

As the captain, Morel kept pretty busy, and I found that we had far less time together than on our previous adventure. Still, whenever he could, Morel liked to go swimming with me. I was a competent swimmer, but with his lung capacity, Morel could swim circles around any of us. I couldn't possibly dive as deep as he could, so he would bring up finds he wanted to share with me - fantastically shaped shells, rainbow-colored sea urchins, delicate starfish. We also tested how my ability worked underwater. I'd close my eyes and Morel would swim away. I had to locate him using _En_ alone. To my delight, I could sense his aura as easily as I could on land; Morel told me he wasn't surprised.

When we weren't swimming, we'd steal what chances we could to stand on the deck shoulder to shoulder, gazing out at sea and chatting about anything and everything. We'd punctuate our conversations with kisses. It was during one of these kisses toward the end of our first week at sea that Ulfvar happened across us. Since the boat was so small and we hadn't been hiding anything from him, we both assumed he knew about our relationship, but Morel and I had so little time together that Ulfvar somehow missed that we were more than just friendly teammates. I was melting in Morel's arms when we were startled by Ulfvar's voice.

"So _that's_ how it is," he said. "If I'd realized I was getting into this sort of situation, I never would have signed on as crew."

Then he stomped off.


	3. Chapter 3: Four x Letter x Word

"You can't blame him for being upset," I told Morel. "Knuckle and Meleoron were accepting of our relationship when it started, and Shoot seems to be fine with it, too, but they all know and trust you. As far as Ulfvar's concerned, how can he expect you to be fair to him when you and I mean so much to each other? This sort of thing can really mess with how a team operates. We should have said something to Ulfvar at the outset."

"I thought I did a pretty good job of being fair when I didn't knock that idiot flat in the noodle shop," Morel said.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" I suggested. "Actually, I suppose we should each apologize to him."

"Let me handle this," Morel said. "I'm the team leader; I take the responsibility. But I'm going to give him time to cool off first." He strode away to the bridge, apparently needing to cool off himself.

By dinnertime, it was clear that Morel had not spoken with Ulfvar, who was sitting in stony silence, glaring. Both Knuckle and Shoot looked at Morel, expecting him to address whatever was going on, but he, too, was decidedly taciturn. It was an awkward dinner. I wanted to honor Morel's wish to be the one to talk to Ulfvar, but it was hard to do that when Morel wasn't actually talking. Finally I gave up trying to eat, cleared my place, and went out to stand on deck. I was surprised when Shoot showed up and stood beside me soon afterwards. Between Shoot and Knuckle, I was far closer to Knuckle, simply because I'd spent more time with him. I was touched that Shoot had bothered to seek me out.

"What's going on?" he asked me.

"Ulfvar happened across me and Morel kissing," I said. "We hadn't realized he didn't know about us, and he was pretty upset. Morel told me he would talk to him, but he hasn't bothered to get around to it yet."

Shoot gazed out at the horizon. "Morel is usually pretty direct," he mused. "He doesn't like Ulfvar, but we're stuck with him now. Maybe he's putting this off because he's not sure what to say."

"Ulfvar is... I guess I'd say he's socially inept," I replied. "I mean, he's certainly insulted me more than once, but he's pretty good about apologizing. I think he's trying. Why does Morel dislike him?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Shoot asked, turning to look me in the eye. "He's very protective of you. First he was upset at Ulfvar for not treating you with respect, and now he's afraid he's after you."

"Well, why should _that_ matter?" I sputtered. "Morel should know he has my heart. Who cares what Ulfvar thinks? Not that I'm convinced he actually _is_ after me, no matter what Morel's worried about."

"Try putting yourself in Morel's shoes," Shoot said, smiling a little. "Imagine there was a young, good-looking woman on the crew who was seeking him out and snuggling up to him on the deck. How would you feel?"

"Ulfvar isn't snuggling up to me. And, as far as I'm concerned, he's practically a child. Besides, maybe it's the way each of them treats me, but I happen to find Morel better looking than Ulfvar."

"Well, he can't see that," Shoot said. "All he can see is Ulfvar chasing after you, and it's driving him crazy."

I groaned. "This is ridiculous. I'll have to talk with him. Think they're done eating yet?"

"That's safe to say. Check for him on the bridge. That's where he goes to think."

####

I knocked on the door of the bridge, and waited for Morel to respond. When I entered, he gave me a guilty look.

"I'm sorry for ruining dinner, Mar. I _will_ talk to him. There just hasn't been a good time yet."

"Morel," I said, placing myself squarely in front of him and putting my hands on his upper arms."A little bird told me you're jealous of Ulfvar. I want you to know that he means _nothing_ to me. He's just an awkward kid, and he's sometimes annoying to boot. I _love_ you," I said. It was the first time either of us had used that word.

In answer, Morel put his arms around me and gave me a long, passionate kiss. He had moved his lips against my ear, breathing my name, when there was a knock on the door.

Rather than answering, Morel held me against his chest. "This boat's too crowded. I want to be alone with you," he complained.

I laughed. "I thought I was going to grow to love her, and now _you're_ complaining about how cramped she is."

"I've never had the woman I loved as one my crew members," he said.

So now we'd both said it. It felt good to have that out in the open.

The knocking started up again. "Come in!" Morel yelled, releasing me.

Shoot walked in. "Knuckle and Ulfvar are fighting," he said. "You'd better break it up."

"I waited too long," Morel muttered. "Mar, keep the _Sea Fog_ on course until I get back, will you?" This wasn't a difficult request - we were in open water, the weather was clear, and I'd already learned a little bit about navigation. I nodded, and Morel followed Shoot.


	4. Chapter 4: Set x on x Edge

Morel was somber when he came back to the bridge. The fight had been over something Ulfvar had said about him, but he wouldn't tell me what. He did say that, once he had dismissed Knuckle and talked to Ulfvar alone, the conversation didn't go well. "He said we betrayed his trust, and that he didn't care how sorry we were. If he could walk away, he would, but he'll see this out to its end, given the fact that we have no plans to return to land anytime soon. I wish I'd never taken him on board."

"You can't blame yourself," I said, putting my arms around him. "You gave me the final say, remember?"

"I'm still the leader of this team, and as team leader, I'm responsible for everything that goes on. Yes, I let you make the choice, but I didn't have to, Mar. The responsibility ends with me."

I could see that I wasn't going to win this argument, so I just held him a while longer. Then I kissed him goodnight and headed out to attend to my evening chores. As I pulled the door closed behind me, I noticed he was staring out at sea, frowning.

####

Ulfvar's angry silence gave way to constant biting remarks. He seemed to make it his business to make sure that Morel and I never got a moment alone. He was forever referring to Morel as "old man" and began questioning his every decision, stopping just shy of insubordination. If no one else was around, he would hint that I was on board solely as Morel's "woman," not as a pro Hunter, or he'd make comments on my appearance. When he walked past me, he'd find ways to bump into me - again, only when no one was there to witness it. If I took him to task, he told me I was getting upset over nothing. I thought of talking with Morel about it, but I didn't want to start a fight - the boat was too small as it was. I debated going to Knuckle or Shoot, but it felt awkward, and I was afraid they'd just go to Morel anyway, so I remained silent, angry with myself for given Ulfvar a chance.

Perhaps because of Ulfvar's subtle campaign against us, perhaps due to the size of the boat or the fact that we couldn't remain in a romantic haze forever, Morel and I began to irritate each other. During our first adventure together, the only one on our team who had snored was Meleoron. Maybe it was the difference between sleeping on the ground and sleeping in a hammock, but now Morel was snoring for part of most nights. The first few nights on board, it wasn't a big deal, but over time it began to wear on me. My hammock was close enough to his that I tried poking him one night to rouse him and stop the snoring, but he was a sound sleeper, and after a few jabs at his ribs, I got upset and poked him hard enough that I fell out of my hammock onto the floor. I startled Shoot and Ulfvar awake, but Knuckle and, to my sorrow, Morel slept right through it. Ulfvar cornered me the next day and gave me a hard time about not being competent enough to keep from falling out of my hammock. I just walked away.

Short on sleep and annoyed by Ulfvar's behavior, I didn't take it kindly when Morel started making comments to me about the need to pick up after myself. When I'm camping, I am the queen of "leaving no trace," but if I stay in one spot, I have a tendency to let my belongings get scattered around a bit - a tank top here, my hairbrush there. While we were technically in the field and on the move, being in a boat was more like being in one place than not, and I fell into my habit of not always picking up after myself as much as other people might like. One day Morel mentioned to me that he'd like me to do something about my clothes, which I'd left in various places belowdecks. When I went to pick up, Ulfvar followed me to tell me he'd expected that I, of all people, would be a little neater.

"Because I'm a _woman_ , I suppose," I said.

"Well, yes," he said with a smile. "I thought you all were trained to be neat."

"I don't know why that's important for women and not men," I snapped. "Anyhow, it's none of your business."

"Stop being so touchy," he said. "Are you on the rag or something?"

"GET _OUT_!" I yelled. Of course, on a boat the size of the _Sea Fog_ , someone was bound to hear me, and the nearest someone was Morel. As Ulfvar left, Morel peered belowdecks and asked me if everything was okay. I should have told him right then and there about everything Ulfvar had been doing, but instead I snarled, "Just being a good little woman and picking up." Morel opened his mouth to say something, then apparently thought better of it and left.

Between my bad habit of scattering my belongings and the fact that I perversely wanted to be less domestic than after Ulfvar's comments, it wasn't too many days before things were back to the way they'd been when I'd first been asked to pick up. Morel mentioned it to me again, this time with a bit of an edge to his voice. I complied, but I wasn't very gracious about it, and we were short with each other for the rest of the day.

Despite all of this, we had happy times together. Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, and I often talked and laughed over our meals, refusing to let Ulfvar's attitude get us down. There were times when Ulfvar would say something that set Knuckle on edge, but between the warning looks Morel was giving him and Shoot's calming influence, he managed to avoid reacting in anger.

There was also a particularly lovely afternoon I spent with Morel when we managed to slip away together. We had entered the whales' hunting grounds the day before, so we'd thrown out the sea anchor and were occasionally correcting our position in order to stay in one spot, more or less. Morel took me for a swim, promising to get me as close to the whales as possible.

As we we swam toward the pod, something was bothering me... and then I realized what it was. I tapped Morel on the shoulder and motioned that I wanted him to follow me to the surface.

"Need to catch your breath?" he asked.

"It's not that," I replied. "Did you forget to tell us that the whales have _Nen_ , or did you not know that?"

"They have _Nen?!_ "

Well, that answered my questioned. "Yes. I sensed it. But I've always been able to tell individual _Nen_ users apart before. Each aura is unique, like a fingerprint. The whales are different. They all seem the same. Now that I've experienced their auras, I could tell you if we were in the presence of a Reev's whale, but I can't distinguish one whale from another."

Morel seemed speechless for a moment. "Why would they have _Nen_?" he finally asked, not really expecting me to answer. "No one's observed the whales using it. And while they're intelligent, I didn't think..." He lapsed into silence. Then he smiled. "Well, Mar, your ability came in useful after all. That's quite the discovery!"

We swam closer to the whales and tread water while we watched them make bubble nets around schools of fish and then feed on the trapped animals.

"I'll bet you could do that," I said.

Morel laughed. "Of course I could! Wait here and let me get my pipe."

When he returned, he took a deep lungful of air and dove underwater. A short while later, bubbles rose to the surface, gradually creating a large ring. To my delight, some of the whales shot up through the bubble ring, swallowing the fish Morel had enclosed. He surfaced next to me and we watched the show.

The next day, Ulfvar took his campaign to a new level.


	5. Chapter 5: Crime x and x Punishment

The next morning, Morel announced that he would be taking long daily swims, searching for a tentacled shark. Any of us were welcome to join him, as long as at least one person remained on board.

I had a bit of a headache and decided to bow out. Shoot and Ulfvar also chose not to go. Like me, Shoot said he wasn't up for a long, difficult swim that morning. Ulfvar gave no reason for staying behind, and we were all a bit surprised. Why would a Sea Hunter turn down an opportunity like this? I was sure he was just being perverse. Knuckle was raring to go, so he and Morel dove over the side of the boat. Morel was soon lost to sight, but Knuckle would bob to the surface from time to time, each time a little further away.

I went belowdecks, planning on actually tidying up before Morel said anything to me and then taking a nap. When I got there, I saw Ulfvar lounging in his hammock. My stomach twisted. There was no way I was going to spend any amount of time alone with him in there. As I turned to go, he spoke.

"What's the matter, Mar? Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't," I said. _Liar._ I willed myself to turn and look at him, trying to force myself to be slightly more friendly. We did, after all, have to live with each other. He was sitting up in his hammock now, both feet planted firmly on the floor.

"Then why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"I just remembered something I have to do." _I'm such a bad liar._

Ulfvar said as much. "Don't lie to me." He stood up and walked toward me. "Do you know what your problem is?"

I wanted to put some distance between us, but I was reluctant to turn my back to him in order to climb the ladder to the deck. "The only problem I have that is any of your business is you and your nasty personal remarks," I said.

In a flash, he had grabbed both my arms. "I'm tired of your disrespect!" he hissed. I would have laughed at his remark, considering how he treated me, but I was too frightened. "Your problem is the way you throw yourself at that old man like you're desperate for anyone you can get. You need to be with a _real_ man. _I_ could show you a good time."

My anger gave me courage. "I think I know what I need or don't need," I snapped. "And I certainly don't need you."

He twisted my right arm behind me and slammed his body against mine, neatly removing his arm just before I hit the wall, effectively pinning me with one hand behind my back. He raised my left arm overhead and pinned that, too, against the wall. "I said I'm tired of your disrespect," he hissed, his face inches from mine.

I was fairly well trapped, but I gathered all of my strength and brought my right knee up hard. Ulfvar staggered back and yelped. In an instant, he was holding a spear in his right hand. _I forgot he was a Conjurer... and I don't have a weapon._ "I'll kill you!" he yelled, forgetting that anyone else was on board. Shoot was in the doorway just as I was dodging a thrust of Ulfvar's spear.

One of Shoot's hands struck Ulfvar on his left eye. The boy spun on one heel to look at him with his right eye. "What did you _do_ to me?" he asked. Neither of us had ever seen Shoot fight before, but I knew of his ability from conversations together; apparently, Ulfvar had never bothered to find out. So much the better, but Ulfvar was still armed and could see out of his right eye. Shoot smiled as all three hands sailed toward him. I took advantage of the distraction to punch Ulfvar in the lower ribs. He gasped for breath and, in the next instant, he lost his right eye. He swung the spear wildly, but once he was blind it was easy enough for us to avoid and disarm him.

Hotel Rafflesia held Ulfvar while we waited for Morel to return. Once the adrenaline from the fight wore off, I started crying, and I couldn't stop, even though Shoot, clearly uncomfortable, did everything he could to calm me down. Knuckle showed up, worn out from the swim, and Shoot explained what had happened. "I'll do what I can to get the boss," Knuckle said, and he dove overboard again.

It seemed like forever, but I finally saw Morel clambering on board. Shoot had coaxed me onto the deck and thrown Knuckle's coat over my shoulders. He'd offered me a cup of tea, but I couldn't hold the cup steady and got far more tea on the deck than in me. Morel looked angry, but when he saw me crying, he sat down beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, Mar," he said. "It's okay."

If anything, Morel's presence brought a fresh wave of tears. I felt like a big baby, not like a Hunter at all. At some point, Knuckle climbed aboard and sat down with the rest of us. Finally, I'd cried myself out. Morel held me a while longer in silence, then coaxed, "Mar, please tell me... what happened?"

It was hard for me to talk about it without crying some more, but everyone listened patiently as I told the whole story, beginning with the little remarks Ulfvar had made and the ways he'd "accidentally" touched me and winding up with the events of the morning. As I described the assault, I felt Morel stiffen. When I'd finished, he said, "You're safe now, Mar." Then he growled, "I'll kill that boy."

I was both frightened and glad that Ulfvar had so enraged Morel. Part of me was out for blood, but I worried that it would be my fault if Morel seriously injured him. If I'd just said something earlier, things never would have come to this.

It was early afternoon, and none of us had eaten since breakfast. I was supposed to cook, but Shoot said he'd pull together a quick lunch. Morel continued to sit with me, while Knuckle remained silently nearby. When Shoot let us know that lunch was ready, Morel helped me to my feet and walked beside me, his arm around my shoulders. I did what I could to eat, but I wasn't very successful. After lunch, Morel declared it was time to do something about Ulfvar.

Shoot released the boy from Hotel Rafflesia. I was a little worried that he'd conjure another spear, but when faced with Morel, Knuckle, and Shoot, Ulfvar just stood there meekly awaiting his fate. I stood behind the trio, wanting to stay as far from my attacker as I could.

"Ulfvar, that was the final straw!" he yelled. "In fact, if Mar had told me what you'd been up to _before_ this, I'd have thrown you off this boat long ago. Do you see that island over there?" He pointed to a speck on the horizon. "That's where you're headed. It's a private island. Sooner or later, the owners will show up to enjoy some time on their own little paradise with their friends. That will be your ticket off the island, though they may decide to throw you in jail for trespassing. In the meantime, you'll get to practice your survival skills. Now swim!" With those final words, Morel threw Ulfvar overboard.

Despite the fact that Knuckle was exhausted from the morning's hunt and his swim to get Morel's attention, he and Shoot took our duties on top of their own, allowing me to just sit next to Morel. Neither of us said much, but I found his presence soothing. I managed to eat a little more at dinner than I had at lunch, and then I was ready to call it a day. Morel settled down in his own hammock, even though it was early, and when I woke up suddenly after dreaming I was drowning, he reached out, stroked my hair, and told me that everything was okay. I had no idea if he'd slept at all. I do know that if he snored that night, it didn't disturb me.


	6. Chapter 6: A x Disturbing x Discovery

If life were fair, I would have remained blissfully unaware of Ulfvar's fate... or at least I wouldn't have been the first person to discover it.

Knuckle hadn't finished making breakfast, and I had nothing pressing to do, so I was standing on deck trying unsuccessfully not to think about the events of the previous day. Something in the water caught my eye - a pale, heavily tattooed arm that ended abruptly just above the elbow. It was bobbing in the water, not far from the boat. A pinkish welt circled the arm in a spiral.

"Morel!" I yelled.

Morel came bounding up from belowdecks, and Shoot and Knuckle appeared as well. I pointed to the arm. Morel swore and immediately jumped over the side of the boat.

I found myself using _En_ to try to find Ulfvar. I leaned over the deck railing, focusing mostly downward but finding, of course, nothing beyond Morel's aura. Then I tried searching in the direction of the island but again came up cold. _He could be beyond my range,_ I told myself, though I knew the truth.

Morel climbed back on board with the arm. "That's all I could find," he said.

"I couldn't find his aura," I reported.

"He's dead. I have no doubt about that."

I managed to throw up over the side of the boat instead on the deck.

Morel handed the arm to Shoot and walked me to the sink to wash my face. Knuckle returned to cooking and soon called out that breakfast was ready. "I can't eat," I told Morel.

"You didn't eat much yesterday," he said. "Come with me. Don't worry, I'm not going to insist that you eat food you can't hold down."

Morel poked his head in the galley and asked Knuckle to keep his breakfast warm. Then he sat down on the deck and asked me to sit next to him.

He threw an arm around me, pulling me close. "You've got a good heart, Mar, and I love you for it, but don't let Ulfvar's fate upset you. The idiot brought this on himself."

"I can't help thinking that if I'd told you sooner about the way he was treating me, or if I'd somehow handled him better than I did, this never would have happened."

" _You_ are not responsible for this in any way," he said, turning to face me. " _He_ chose to assault you, and that isn't your fault. His choices - not yours - led to what happened to him."

I felt tears swimming in my eyes. I wished I could be as confident in this as Morel was. I was a Hunter, so I shouldn't be this vulnerable. Ulfvar may have assaulted me, but it could have been a lot worse... so why couldn't I pull myself together?

"Now," said Morel, "I need to eat. Will you join me?"

I nodded and followed him to the galley, where we shared breakfast. Once we cleaned up, he called a meeting of the crew.

"We can't know for sure, but given the state of his arm, I'd guess that Ulfvar was killed by a tentacled shark. I'm convinced that we're in the right place. I don't know how long it will take to find a shark; as far as we know, if Ulfvar did, in fact, encounter one, he was the first human to do so. But I believe that one or more of these sharks are in the area, and if a Sea Hunter like Ulfvar was killed by one, they are a serious threat. I'll continue with my daily dives, but I want the rest of you to remain on board."

"Over my dead body," I snapped.

Knuckle snorted. Morel raised an eyebrow. Shoot just looked from Morel to me and back again, wondering what would happen next.

"Mar," Morel said calmly, "you know that being a Hunter is a dangerous profession. We are each going to make choices that the other person doesn't like. I have no doubt that there will be times I will want to hold you back from a mission, but that's not my choice to make, much as I'll want to. You need to let me do this."

"Morel," I retorted, trying to match his tone of voice, "if it's not your choice to hold me back from a mission, then don't hold me back now." He frowned, got up, and walked away from the table. Slowly Knuckle and Shoot rose and went about their duties. I had my own chores to do, but for the moment I remained seated. I was sure I was right. Why couldn't Morel admit it?

I'd just stood up when Morel's large frame darkened the doorway. "Sit down, Mar," he sighed. He sat across the table from me, then reached across it and took my hands. Looking down at our clasped hands, he said, "You're right. I don't want you to stop me, but I'm trying to stop you. I'm trying to protect you... and Knuckle and Shoot... by making a decision for you that all of you have to make for yourselves. And I'll confess that I'm letting what happened to you yesterday affect my decision-making. I _hate_ what Ulfvar did to you. I _hate_ that I wasn't able to stop it. I don't want to see you hurt again, and I don't want to lose you."

I squeezed his hands. "I know you're a more skilled Hunter than I am. I understand that you are leading this team. But if you try to protect me by denying me opportunities... that's not okay. I want you to have my back, and I want the chance to have your back, too. I want a partner, not a protector. Partners support each other... like you told me your team did when you lost strength fighting Meruem's Royal Guards, like you've done for me. But they don't hold each other back. And, by the way, what you said about not wanting to lose me? I don't want to lose you either." Morel didn't answer right away. He just rubbed his thumbs across the backs of my hands, continuing to look at our hands instead of at me. Then he stood up.

"I need to let Shoot and Knuckle know that I'll be taking whoever wants to go with me on my dives. Will you come with me today?"

"Yes," I said, and I kissed his cheek. He put one arm around me, and we walked out to find our teammates.


	7. Chapter 7: Too x Many x Questions

Day after day Morel dove with one or two of us along, but we didn't encounter a shark. While he'd typically left his pipe behind on pleasure swims, now he brought it in case it came in handy, and he insisted that we wear knives. Despite the fact that he himself had said that tentacled sharks were rare and that the hunt could take some time, with each fruitless swim I could tell he was becoming more discouraged. I was still feeling a bit troubled myself. When I wasn't swimming with him, I tried to keep busy, and Knuckle and Shoot both made a point of engaging me in conversation or teaching me something new about the boat. They were more than great teammates; they were true friends, and I appreciated the way they were looking out for me to keep me from dwelling on recent events. But despite our efforts to keep my mind off things, from time to time memories of Ulfvar's assault would overwhelm me, and I'd find myself reliving the moment.

On day nine of Morel's search, Shoot and I were along with him. Following his usual pattern, Morel swam ahead without waiting for us. As we neared him, I sensed his aura and, a little beyond him, those of the whales. But there was something else with the whales.

When we joined Morel, I saw the something else. The shark was magnificent. Half again as large as Morel, it had long, thin tentacles waving around its mouth. It was ignoring us and swimming alongside the pod of whales, maintaining a certain distance. The whales had taken on an eerie blue glow (something to do with their _Nen_?) and were gathering more closely together, pushing their calves behind them.

Suddenly, I became aware of a second shark rushing up behind us. _Too close! I should have caught that sooner! I let the shark we were watching distract me._ I didn't have time to react before Shoot flailed his arm wildly. Morel and I turned toward him to find that the shark that had approached from behind had wrapped a tentacle around his leg. Morel reacted quickly, letting go of his pipe and unsheathing his knife in a flash; while he slashed at the tentacle around Shoot's leg, I was still fumbling to free my knife while trying to maintain a better awareness of our surroundings. I stopped bothering with my knife when I saw the attacking shark retreat quickly, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Morel had an arm around Shoot and was swimming for the surface as fast as he could go; I followed, continuing to feel for threats, but we seemed to be safe for the moment. Something felt off - an absence, rather than a presence - but focused as I was on the tentacled sharks, I couldn't figure out what it was.

When we surfaced, I realized what was missing - Shoot's aura. His three hands and Hotel Rafflesia were nowhere to be seen. He was alive and conscious, though he seemed a bit stunned. I turned to tell Morel, but of course, he'd figured it out as well.

"Those tentacles remove _Nen_ ," he said.

I nodded. "The sharks have _Nen_ ," I added. "Their auras are different from the whales, but I couldn't tell the two sharks apart anymore than I can distinguish one whale from another. Anyhow, that must be their ability - removing _Nen_."

"You didn't feel the second shark coming?" Morel asked with a frown.

"I'm sorry. It was too late for me to do anything by the time I felt it. It was charging fast from behind, and I'd let myself get distracted by the other shark."

"Where are they now? Are there any more of them?" he asked.

"The one that you injured left. He's already out of my range. The other one is sticking with the pod. I'm not sensing any more sharks."

"So we're safe for now. Shoot, how are you?"

Shoot's eyes were wide and a bit unfocused, but he managed to reply, "My leg aches a little, and I feel... wrong... without my _Nen_ , but I can make it back to the boat."

"Stay right here, then. I'm going after my pipe."

"I want to go with you," I said.

"No, you stay here with Shoot. Don't worry; just follow me with your _En_ \- the water's shallow enough here that you'll be able to keep track of me without any trouble. And I want you and Shoot to get out of here if you sense a shark approaching."

I nodded and waited impatiently for him, even though I could feel his easy progress to the bottom and back, unhampered by threats. When Morel returned, he told Shoot that he would prefer for him not to try to swim; instead, he created a smoke raft with a tow rope and had Shoot climb on. Morel swam slowly, bringing the raft with him. I followed in their wake, keeping my senses open for approaching sharks, but we remained safe.

Once we were back on board the boat, Morel saw to Shoot's leg. He had a nasty red welt where the tentacle had touched him. Morel treated it the way he would tend to a jellyfish sting and helped Shoot to his hammock, telling him that he'd check on him later. Back on deck he confided to me and Knuckle that his real concern was Shoot's _Nen_. "I don't know if it will come back naturally or if we'll need a healer," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

It was my night to cook dinner. Morel followed me into the galley and started to help, though he didn't need to. He just wanted to talk through what had happened.

"Too many questions," he muttered. "The sharks must have the ability to remove _Nen_ because of the whales... but why? What exactly is the whales' _Nen_ ability? How is it a threat to the sharks? What is the relationship between the animals? The whales must sometimes eat the sharks, but the first shark we saw seemed to be hunting the whales. And how long are the effects of the _Nen_ removal?"

I had no answers, but I listened as we chopped vegetables together. After a while Morel checked on Shoot. He returned to report that he was asleep and seemed fine. We saved some stew for him, which Knuckle brought him when he woke up. Shoot claimed the pain was significantly improved, but he still had no _Nen_. Morel fretted and paced the deck. When I said "good night," he said he'd join us soon, but I was asleep before he went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8: Two x Long x Swims

When I awoke the next morning, Shoot was up and about. He didn't have his _Nen_ back, and he seemed a little moody, but he claimed to be feeling fine. I guessed he was trying to make the best of things. _It must be horrible not knowing if you'll ever be able to use Nen again._

As we chatted over breakfast, Shoot shifted his left shoulder. His tattoo caught my eye, and Ulfvar came to mind. With a start, I realized that I hadn't thought of him since sometime before Shoot had been hurt. _Nothing like someone else's crisis to get your mind off your own pain._

After breakfast, Morel asked Knuckle to come with him for his daily dive; he was hoping to encounter the sharks again and learn more about them. He asked me to stay behind with Shoot. Even though he was physically well, Morel saw him as vulnerable without his _Nen_ \- never mind that there were no real threats on the boat.

I knew it was Knuckle's turn to join Morel, but I objected anyway. "My ability will be useful to you," I pointed out. "I can feel sharks before they're visible."

I could see disappointment flicker across Knuckle's face, but he was kind enough to say, "I'd like to get off the boat today, but she has a point, boss. What do you say?"

Morel acquiesced. "There's no guarantee we'll see them, though, and you can't go every day, Mar," he said. "You'll be no good to anyone if you wear yourself out."

I agreed to his condition and prepared for our swim.

I could tell it pained Morel to swim slowly enough to stay near me, but my ability wouldn't help if he was too far for me to warn him about sharks. I hadn't sensed a trace of them by the time we neared the whales. I was beginning to question the wisdom of coming along rather than remaining behind with Shoot. What was the likelihood that we'd come across the sharks two days in a row when sightings were so rare? We could be here for weeks before Morel had the answers to his questions. I'd wanted to be useful to him, but my swim today would mean that I almost certainly needed to stay behind tomorrow.

###

We'd been with the whales for hours. Under normal circumstances, this could have been a fun outing with Morel, but both of us were too wrapped up in our thoughts to enjoy ourselves. I was getting tired, and I knew Morel would call it a day soon. I tried to console myself with the fact that Morel and Knuckle had a strong chance of being completely safe the next day. What was the likelihood of encountering the sharks on any given day? Still, I didn't like the idea that they could take someone's _Nen_ , perhaps permanently. Every single one of us would feel disabled in that situation; it would change our lives.

When I felt the first shark creep into the edge of my range, I knew it was my lucky day. It was on the far side of the pod. Morel and I were underwater, so I tapped one of his arms to get his attention and pointed in the direction of the shark. We couldn't see it, but he understood what I was getting at. A second shark entered my awareness from directly in front of the pod, so I let him know about that, too. I was going to need a breath, so I started to rise to the surface, and Morel followed me.

"Two again?" he asked.

"Yes. One on the far side of the pod, the other to the front."

"Interesting," he mused. "I'm going back down to see what I can see. I know you can't stay down as long as I can, but stick with me as much as you're able. I want you to be my 'eyes' when the sharks aren't visible."

I nodded and followed him.

The pod had taken on the glow we had seen the previous day. They seemed to be aware of the shark that was in front of them, but not the one I had first sensed on their far side. Once again, they had gathered in a way to protect the calves from the shark that they were facing down. Morel swam to a place where we could see that shark. One of its tentacles was visibly shortened, so we knew it was the one that had attacked Shoot the previous day. It was swimming back and forth in front of the pod, maintaining a set distance away.

Morel poked me, pointing to where the other shark had been. I could feel it in the same general area, so I nodded and swam with him to check it out. I could feel it, but we had to get around the whales to see it. It was staying further from the whales than its fellow shark, apparently trying to remain unnoticed. I indicated my need to surface, and Morel nodded but stayed put. I moved as quickly as possible - I wanted to be near Morel, and I was fascinated by the interplay between the sharks and the whales.

When I returned to him, Morel drew my attention to a calf near the back of the pod. It had slipped away from its mother unnoticed, or perhaps its mother wasn't as attentive as a normal Reev's whale, because it was relatively unprotected. The shark saw it, too, and charged toward it. In an instant, some of the shark's tentacles had wrapped around the calf's body, which immediately lost its glow. _That's why the sharks can remove_ Nen. _The whales'_ Nen _must offer them some sort of protection, but the sharks have adapted to overcome it._ One of the nearby adult whales responded, chasing after the shark, its mouth open. When it had drawn close to the shark, it bit down, trying to sever its tail, but the shark, with a burst of speed, slipped through the whale's jaws, and the whale gave up chase.

I could feel the shark to the front of the pod retreating, and the whales, seeming to know that the threat had subsided, were losing their glow. I motioned for Morel to follow me to the surface.

We both started talking at once.

"They hunt in pairs! One distracts the prey, and the other attacks from behind!"

"They've adapted to overcome the whales' _Nen_!"

"So, what now?" I asked.

Morel frowned at me. "Now we get you back to the boat. You've been out a long time. Can you make it, or do you need a raft?"

In the excitement, I'd forgotten how tired I'd felt before the sharks came. "I can make it," I said.

Morel set an easy pace, and we were back shortly before sunset. Our return brought another surprise. As we neared the boat, I sensed Shoot's _Nen_. It was far fainter than normal, but it was there. "Shoot's healing," I told Morel with a smile as I put a hand on the ladder, preparing to climb on board. Morel grinned.

Dinner was longer than usual as we shared what we learned about the whales and discussed Shoot's improvement. He said he'd felt his _Nen_ beginning to return an hour or so after we left. It came back in an odd way; when we'd boarded the boat, he had regained one hand and had the ghost of another. By the time dinner was over, the ghost had solidified. We were all relieved that the injury had been short-lived, and we felt like celebrating, so Morel brought out a couple of bottles of wine. Over the wine, we returned our discussion to the sharks and our next steps concerning them.

"There's certainly more to learn," Morel said, "but I've accomplished my initial goal. Three of us have seen the tentacled sharks, and we know a bit about their abilities and how they hunt. We've also added to what the world knows about Reev's whales.

"I'd love to see some more interactions between the whales and the sharks, but we're running low on supplies. In a few days, we should probably set course for the nearest port, though we could get food from the chain of islands nearby if necessary."

"I'm ready to head for shore," said Shoot.

"I'll bet you are," said Knuckle. "Let's do it boss."

"Mar?"

"This boat's too small," I said to him with a grin.

Morel gave me a lopsided smile and raised an eyebrow. "Well, then," he said, standing up. "We'll leave in a few days."

###

Shoot was back to normal the next morning. When Knuckle asked Morel for the day's agenda at breakfast, he was evasive. "I'm not sure yet," he said. When the meal ended and we stood up to go about our morning chores, Morel held me back.

"Mar, would you meet me on the bridge in half an hour?" he asked.

"Certainly!" I said. I spent the next thirty minutes wondering about the reason for Morel's request. I knew him well enough that I wasn't concerned. I was, however, terribly curious.

Morel smiled when I entered the room. "How are you?" he asked, and I knew that he was thinking of Ulfvar. _Things haven't been the same since he attacked me._

"Better," I said. "What Ulfvar did... what he _could_ have done... it's ugly to remember, but I can forget about it for long periods of time now. I'm starting to feel happy again."

"I thought so," he said, drawing me into his arms. "I'm glad, Mar."

I tilted my face toward him, and he leaned down and kissed me. Then he drew back a little and smiled. He ran the fingers of his right hand up and down one of my bare upper arms, and I felt myself warming to his touch. "If I asked you to take a long swim with me, would you be up for it?" he asked.

I considered his question carefully. "Yes," I said. "I could manage that, if we took an easy pace."

"We would," he said. His smile broadened. "How would you like to get off this tiny boat and go to one of the islands with me for a little while? Just the two of us."

 _So that's what this was about._ "How soon could we leave?" I asked, smiling back.

"Five minutes, tops," he said, and taking me by the hand, he led me to the door, loosening his tie with his free hand and discarding it on the floor of the bridge. _You're picking up my bad habits, Morel._

By the time we'd reached the deck, his shirt was off, and that, too, was dropped to the floor. "Knuckle!" he yelled. I left him to go belowdecks and change. When I was back by his side, he was giving instructions to Knuckle, who would be taking charge of the boat in his absence. 

"How long are you planning on being gone?" Knuckle asked. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Shoot standing there, smiling knowingly. I couldn't help laughing. Morel began laughing, too.

"When we're good and ready," he said. "Don't come looking for us!"

We jumped over the side of the boat.


End file.
